setting up HSModem

This information was mainly taken from Atari ST User, Oct 1994 (for HSMODA04, but works with 06 and 07), and paraphrased/embroidered here and there by me.

HSMOD uses modular drivers: each serial port or chip has its own driver, and you only need to use the ones specific to your setup. The program that actually loads the relevant drivers is called DRVIN.

The first thing to do before using HSMOD is to determine the type of comms chips you have in your computer and use the corresponding drivers. This can be determined from the following list:

Next, the chosen drivers must be configured. To avoid having .INF files all over the place, the actual .PRG files are altered and saved with the new values.

Use the SETTER program. There is now a GEM version, but the .TTP is what's described here and I got a bit lost with the other one.

Either run SETTER directly and type the name of the driver in as the parameter, or drag the program file and drop it on the SETTER icon in more recent TOS versions (or replacement desktops, eg Teradesk).

For MFP.PRG (which is the vanilla STE driver), these are the recommended values:

The last two entries can contain values from 16 to 65534 where 256 is the standard system setting. Normally, the larger the buffer the faster the transfer. For a long time, I set mine to the max in both cases, figuring that I could spare the RAM on a 4 meg machine. However, Peter Rottengatter (the author of STinG) wrote a convincing explanation in c.s.a.s as to why such large buffers are just a waste of memory when using a 14k4 modem on a 19k2 serial port, so I've now reduced the buffers to 256 for both transmit and receive, with no appreciable loss of speed.

For SCC.PRG (I might as well be as complete as possible, for the sake of the extra typing - NB I am just copying these settings, don't know if they work!):

The last four entries, like in MFP.PRG, can be set between 16 and 65534 bytes, where 256 is the standard system setting. The larger the buffer, the faster the transfer should go.

RSVE(MFP) and ESCC(SCC) are hardware mods to increase comms chip speed, popular in Germany, less so elsewhere (though I think System Solutions will fit RSVE in the UK). The above settings assume that neither mod is installed.

For both MFP and SCC, the very last question should be answered with a 'y' to save the configuration in the program. Then copy DRVIN.PRG to your AUTO folder, followed by all relevant drivers (just MFP.PRG on a vanilla STE). NB, DRVIN *must* be loaded before the actual driver(s) in the AUTO folder, or it won't work (you may have to sort your AUTO folder either manually or using AUTOSORT or similar to ensure the correct order: MagiC users can use AUTOEXEC.BAT as an alternative). Re-boot to make operational.

HSMOD should work with both MiNT and MagiC. In the case of MiNT, it should be run after MINT.PRG in the AUTO folder. I'm not entirely convinced that this does work, as there was some controversy about it some time back on c.s.a.s. I don't use MiNT at present, so I can't confirm. Chunks of HSMOD have been incorporated in MagiC from version 3 onwards, but you still need it: the program just checks if it's running under MagiC and skips the bits that MagiC does by itself.

STinG users please note: STING.PRG must be run *after* the HSMOD programs in the AUTO folder.

I have a vague recollection that there is an extra question which isn't covered by the above somewhere in the procedure. Whatever it is, I just accepted the default value.